National Republican., 1887-07-29
A MUGwuMP OPINION.
George william Curtis on the Repub-
lican Party.

lioah Party
lIIarpers weekly1
II was not necessary for the Toledo Blade
to poll Its Republican readers In the country
to learn the drift OF Republican sentiment.
1t all tends one way. The situation re-
quires a certain personal enthusiasm for the
candidate. 1t was practicable In 1860 to
arouse Republican enthusiasm for Mr.. Lin
coin, although he was comparatively little
known, and although his nomination In
volved the defeat Of the most conspicuous
Republican candidate, Mr.. Seward, because
the cause itself was inspiring, and any at
candidate was invested with the enthusiasm
which It awakened. 1t was campaign Of
the most intense feeling, but 1t was feeling
for an idea, for a principle, for cause
But now the conditions are very different.
The contest next year will be for power,
not for principles or ideas or causes, aud
the enthusiasm must be supplied BY the
personality of the candidate.
Probably nobody doubts that II the Re-
publican convention should be held to-mor.
row 1t would break out irrepressibly into
shouts for Blaine, and he would be noml-
mated by acclamation. Certainly nobody
supposes that there would any enthusiasm
whatever for Sherman or Allison or Hirri-
son, or for any one but Blaine. The con.
viction In the party which opposed most
strenuously the Blaine movement In 1884
Will not be represented In the convention.
The Sherman candidacy would be one OF
respect and calculation, but that is not the
kind which stands against q lava stream of
personal devotion. There are undoubtedly
many Republicans who would prefer defeat
with Blaine to success with any other can
didate. They will push the assertion that
TO put aside as unavoidable the one mao who
Is the plumed knight OF the Republican
hAa mi ha N hat hn ua hna afar
for Mulliganian reasons. and that that
would be base for Republican convention.
Moreover, to set him aside would be defer
ence to the hated Mugwumps. 1t would
| give them the chance to say that they had
| prevented the nomination. They might even
resort to the dreadful taunt that the Repub-
| licans did not dare to reuominate him.
These ore not In themselves powerful or
| guments, but in a nominating convention,
| where It is known that the cause itself
will not awaken enthusiasm, they would
be very effective. The argument that Mr..
Blaine has had his chance and failed would
not be admitted to be OF weight, in view Of
the fact that the change Of few hunirel
| votes In New York would have altered the
result in 1884. Indeed, for every plea
against Mr.. Blaine's nomination there will
be apparently strong counter plei, and
| there is one consideration which makes ~
most probable. Nothing In the record OF
! the party since 1881 shows that Mr.. Blaine
has ceased in any degree to he its repre-
sentative. His nomination, indeed, was
held to be a grave misfortune by m,,y r.
pubicans who yet voted for him, but their
feeling has not affected the party. Daring
the time since that election the party
has done nothing whatever to re-
gain any respect or confidence
that II had lost, but, on the contrary, 1t Il
more truly Blaine party to-day than ever
before. It has even tended to ALLEVIATE
Blaine Republicans from Mr.. Sherman tn at
he was supposed to be not distasteful to the
Mugwumps. This conviction has weak.
ened him as a candidate, and even though
the Ohio convention declares for him, re-
cent events In the state have demonstrated
that his opponents there are quite rs posi-
tive and active In the state, II not as numAr-
Gus in the convention, as his friends. Mr
Sberman's service to the party and the
country has been very much greater than
MIR. Blaine's, but he has never gained such
hold as Mr.. Blaine's upon its sympathy
and enthusiasm.